What colour season are you? The style science behind the clothes that make you look good

Published

1 year ago

May 4, 2024

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Like all good (just about) millennials, my Instagram algorithm knows me better than anyone else.

Who and what do I spend my scroll time with? Dogs, mainly. Celebs in the ’90s, holiday cabins that are all floor-to-ceiling glass and breathtaking views and eyewatering prices. More dogs.

But over the past few months, something else has crept in: bare faces with swatches of different coloured fabric draped across their chests like rainbow napkins, their features brightening or dulling as the bibs are changed with a flourish by a stylist.

Pictures of celebrities with rainbow borders framing their faces fill my feed, sometimes with before and digitally altered “after” images side-by-side, showing how different our favourite stars might look with, say, a slightly warmer blonde tone to their hair, or in a silver dress rather than gold.

Welcome to the world of colour analysis – the science, the stylists say, behind the clothes that make you look good.

Like Avon parties, shoulder pads and blancmange, knowing your colour season was de rigueur in the 1980s, before the 1990s ushered in a more laidback approach, followed by instructions on What Not To Wear and How To Look Good Naked, focusing on body shape, in the noughties.

But colour styling is back.

In the past year or so, the trend has exploded on social media thanks to demand from millennials and Gen Zs who have discovered the power of knowing your season – search for #colouranalysis or #coloranalysis and you’ll find around 300,000 posts on Instagram alone, with similar numbers on TikTok.

Colour stylists say that not only is it a fun way to look at fashion, it’s also sustainable and a cost-saver – the idea being that if you know your colours, you’re not going to waste money on items that don’t optimise your looks.

What is colour styling?

The idea is that every single person’s features can be classified into a set of shades associated with spring, summer, autumn or winter – broken down further into 12 sub-seasons such as “true spring” or “bright winter” – and from this palette you can take guidance on the colours that suit you best, not just for clothing but also for make-up and hair.

Winters look great in jewel tones such as emerald green, or neon brights, while autumns suit the colours you associate with the season – mustard, cinnamon, dark moss green. Springs are warm, bright and clear, summers more soft and subtle. But your season is not just about how you look on the outside, and some might surprise you.

Watching the switching of colour drapes, or scrolling through the digital equivalent, can feel like a magic trick; a glow-up without a hint of highlighter or hair dye. Stylists assure this is #nofilter and there is no digital trickery going on here; the wrong colours will wash you out, but the right colour on the right person could well make your eye bags and wrinkles all but melt away.

Having watched this content from various colour stylists over the past few months, I have learned a lot about seasons, palettes and contrast, and undertone v overtone, warm v cool, clear v muted. I have learned that you might share the same eye, skin and natural hair colour as someone else and still be in a different season. That your colour season is not about skin colour or even tone.

And that, apparently, despite black being a go-to or a comfort blanket for many, it’s only – brace yourselves – those in the winter palette who truly suit it.

So now, in the interest of journalism, I’m finding out for myself.

Anyone who knows me will know my wardrobe is on the brighter side. I think I’m a spring. I hope I’m a spring. Am I a spring?

Have I been wearing the ‘wrong’ colours all my life?

I have my colours done by Francesca Cairns, a UK stylist of 10 years who says she has seen her Instagram following grow from about 10,000 to 500,000 across two accounts in the past 12 months or so, all thanks to colour analysis.

“It’s boomed, especially in the last year,” she says. “Gen Z want to learn about what works for them so they can create wardrobes that are sustainable. People are obsessed with it, it’s everywhere.”

Francesca works online, with clients internationally as well as in the UK, so needs photos. No make-up, natural lighting, standing in front of a window. I take about a million selfies before I find a couple that are vaguely passable and send them over, along with older pictures of myself over the years and some information: natural hair colour, (dark blonde/ mousey), eye colour (grey-green, a bit non-descript), how easily I tan (not bad) and my jewellery preference (silver; but, if I’m honest, this could well be a legacy from my frugal youth).

Rather than draping with material in person, she surrounds your face with colour digitally, the style equivalent of Tinder, swiping yes on the shades that work, relegating the ones that don’t, to see a pattern.

It’s mainly about undertone – not skin colour (overtone), she says. The tricky thing? You can’t necessarily see it.

“When I look at someone, I’m putting silver and gold next to them, or very warm versus cool colours,” Francesca says. “I’m seeing which looks best next to their features, which one’s not overpowering them.”

The aim of wearing your best colours is to see your face first, before everything else, she says. The right colour will enhance your features, bring out your eyes. “You don’t want a dress to wear you,” Francesca says. “When you walk into a room, you want people to see your face and your features before your outfit. You want it to all be in harmony rather than overpowering you.”

Her process usually takes 48 hours, but Francesca has my results over to me the next day.

I am, it seems, not a spring.

According to Francesca’s workings, I am a soft summer, just like Rihanna, Sarah Jessica Parker and Rachel McAdams. I have a neutral undertone which leans cool, she tells me, with muted and soft colouring, subtle rather than high contrast. Baby blue, pine green, lavender, sage and taupe are on the list of recommended clothing colours, while ash brown and cool blonde are suggested for my hair (not too far off, but my highlights are probably on the warmer side).

I do own a fair bit of light blue denim, which is good, but I’m looking at all the bright greens, oranges and pinks in my wardrobe. This isn’t about my favourites, though, it’s about the ones that harmonise with my features best.

“It’s colour science,” Francesca says. “If someone’s got a warm undertone, nine out of 10 times they’re probably going to be in the spring or autumn seasons because they look better with a lot of warm tones most of the time. But if you’re neutral, you can border both the seasons.” As I’m neutral, she says some of the spring colours would work – but winter is too high contrast and cool-toned.

Someone with a high contrast – pale skin, dark hair, bright eyes, for example – can pull off high contrast colours such as cobalt blue and fuchsia pink. “But they might overpower someone who’s got softer features,” she says.

Celebs in – and out – of season

It’s important to note that colour analysts don’t always agree. Some put Margot Robbie as a summer, for example, while others, including Francesca, say she’s a spring. Some say you have to do the analysis in person to be certain, while others say photos taken in the right conditions are enough.

I take an online colour quiz for a second opinion and it puts me as a spring, but this is without photographic evidence; I can’t help but think the result is probably something to do with the questions being mainly about the colours I’m drawn to and how I see myself.

Francesca is confident in my summer analysis, but says I can lean into the spring palette. And this isn’t about throwing away an entire wardrobe, but potentially making tweaks.

“Colour analysis isn’t about restriction,” she says. “I’m an autumn. People ask me all the time if I still wear black? Yes, because 90% of my wardrobe before I did this was black. I’ll always wear black, but I’ll make it work for me better by wearing my make-up in my colours, or accessories round my face, wear black lower down or with a lower neckline.

“If you love a colour that’s not in your season it doesn’t mean you can’t wear it, it just means that you wear your colours with it or make it work for you in a different way. And when I post celebrities against different [background] colours, it can be quite subjective.”

Because being groomed and beautiful means stars often look good against all sorts of different shades.

“People might prefer them in a different [colour to their season] and that’s their opinion. But when it comes down to the trained eye and you know what you’re looking for, you see straight away why one palette works better than another.”

Kim Kardashian (winter), Kate Middleton (summer) and Hailey Bieber (autumn) are celebrities you will usually find wearing their colour palettes, she says.

But wearing colours out of your season can pack a punch – think Taylor Swift‘s platinum white hair and dark lipstick look during the height of the Kim and Kanye feud in 2016, or Beyonce‘s current platinum look for the release of Cowboy Carter. Swift is a spring, apparently, while Beyonce is autumn.

“But I’m always training my eye, even now after years,” says Francesca. “You’ll always find that someone’s colours will always surprise you. And there’s no rule book – it’s all about having fun.”

Entertainment

Norman Foster on ‘incredible’ masterplan for new Manchester United ground

Published

7 hours ago

September 19, 2025

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Norman Foster on 'incredible' masterplan for new Manchester United ground

Football and the royals are two subjects which have always attracted very outspoken fans. Now, aged 90, Lord Norman Foster is attempting to please both.

One of the one of the world’s most important living architects, he is known for being the vision behind some of the world’s most iconic designs – including London’s “Gherkin” building, the Millennium Bridge and the British Museum’s spectacular Great Court.

Arguably, however, two of his most talked about designs are yet to be built.

In June, his firm Foster + Partners was announced as having won the commission to build a national memorial in honour of the late Queen Elizabeth II.

Before that, in March, his firm’s vision for a new 100,000-seater stadium at Old Trafford was revealed, which he describes as “the project of a lifetime”.

‘A galvanising project’

“The fan base is incredible,” Lord Foster said of his excitement at being commissioned to work on the new ground.

For the renowned architect it is a homecoming of sorts, given Lord Foster’s working-class roots, having grown-up in Manchester.

Was he excited to be involved?

“You bet,” he exclaims.

“It’s a galvanising project… and so many things can naturally ride on the back of that sporting, emblematic kind of team.”

Set to cost around £2bn – with its three tall masts acting as a vast umbrella over Old Trafford – the design is part of a larger regeneration project which Lord Foster claims could be completed in five years.

It is described as a “master plan that will create streets, squares, neighbourhoods and connect with the heart of Manchester.”

Asked whether it will feel unlike any other British stadium, he said: “Manchester United is different and therefore its stadium’s going to be different… and better, of course.”

And what of the QEII memorial?

He says his design to remember the late monarch in London’s St James’ Park will be “more of all the good things”.

His plans include a statue of Queen Elizabeth II standing next to her husband Prince Philip, and a semi-glass bridge which is a nod to her wedding tiara.

As for those who’ve questioned whether maintaining its sparkle might prove to be problematic, Lord Foster insists it’ll be “less maintenance, more joy”.

He says his hope is “to address the many millions who traverse that [park], the daily commuters and many tourists, and to make that more human, to make it a better experience and a reminder of the legacy of the most extraordinary long-serving monarch”.

After collecting the London Design Festival’s prestigious lifetime achievement medal earlier this week, with six decades of experience under his belt, Lord Foster says he finds Britain’s inability to invest in infrastructure frustrating.

“I lamented, like so many, the cancellation of HS2,” he says. The long-delayed rail route’s northern leg to Manchester was scrapped by Rishi Sunak in 2023.

“That was about levelling-up. It wasn’t about getting from one place in lightning speed, it was taking the burden off the regional network so it would serve local communities better.”

He says “connectivity is the answer to many of the social issues that we talk about”.

The tendency of politicians, he says, to prioritise short-term issues doesn’t help when it comes to seeing the bigger picture.

“There is not the awareness of the importance of design and planning… you do need a political awareness,” he says.

“The city is not static, it’s dynamic. It’s always changing, evolving, adapting to change, and it can do that well, or it can do it badly. But it needs planning, it needs anticipation.”

Entertainment

Kimmel ‘fired for lack of talent’, Trump says, as Obama decries ‘government coercion’

Published

10 hours ago

September 18, 2025

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Jimmy Kimmel 'should have been fired a long time ago', says Trump, after Obama's criticism

Donald Trump has claimed Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night talk show was pulled off the air because of “bad ratings”.

Kimmel’s programme on US network ABC was axed after he criticised the US president and his allies for their response to the assassination of the right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk.

The decision led to accusations that free speech was under attack in the US, with Democrats including former US president Barack Obama and a number of celebrities sounding an alarm.

Mr Trump said: “Well, Jimmy Kimmel was fired because he had bad ratings, more than anything else.”

“And he said a horrible thing about a great gentleman known as Charlie Kirk.”

Speaking at a news conference alongside Sir Keir Starmer, Mr Trump added: “Jimmy Kimmel is not a talented person. He had very bad ratings, and they should have fired him a long time ago.

“So, you know, you could call that free speech or not. He was fired for lack of talent.”

Aboard Air Force One, Mr Trump said: “When a host is on network television, there is a license. … I think maybe their license should be taken away.”

He said whether ABC’s license could be taken away over Mr Kimmel’s comments “will be up to Brendan Carr”, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission.

The US president also said that Mr Kimmel’s “ratings were worse than cold air. I think they got rid of cold air, which is a good thing to do. Look, that’s something that we should be talking about for licensing, too”.

The latest season of Jimmy Kimmel Live averaged 1.57 million viewers per episode, according to media research firm Nielsen – and the show’s YouTube channel has almost 21 million subscribers.

What did Kimmel say?

Kimmel made the controversial remark on Monday night.

He said: “We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterise this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.”

Speaking about Mr Trump, he added: “This is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he calls a friend. This is how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish.”

“Many in MAGA land are working very hard to capitalise on the murder of Charlie Kirk,” he continued.

Free speech under attack?

Disney-owned ABC then said the show would be taken off air indefinitely, and with immediate effect, after network operator Nexstar – which operates a number of ABC affiliates – said it would stop broadcasting it.

But the move – months after fellow CBS late-night show host Stephen Colbert saw his programme cancelled – sparked concern over the state of freedom of speech in the country.

Former US president Barack Obama wrote on X: “After years of complaining about cancel culture, the current administration has taken it to a new and dangerous level by routinely threatening regulatory action against media companies unless they muzzle or fire reporters and commentators it doesn’t like.

“This is precisely the kind of government coercion that the First Amendment was designed to prevent, and media companies need to start standing up rather than capitulating it.”

A string of high-profile celebrities, including actor Ben Stiller, criticised the decision. Mr Stiller reacted to another post on the news, replying: “This isn’t right.”

Actress Alison Brie said in an Instagram story: “This is unreal. And very scary.”

Actress Jean Smart and comedian Alex Edelman also attacked the move.

The American Federation of Musicians, Directors Guild of America, IATSE and Sag Aftra have also condemned the ABC’s decision in a joint statement.

“The indefinite removal of Jimmy Kimmel Live under government pressure is not an isolated incident. It is part of a disturbing trend of increasing interference in creative expression,” the unions said.

“This kind of political pressure on broadcasters and artists chills free speech and threatens the livelihoods of thousands of working Americans.”

What happened

Kimmel’s comments led to the Trump backer Mr Carr threatening to “take action” against Disney and ABC.

In an interview with conservative podcaster Benny Johnson, he said: “We can do this the easy way or the hard way.”

After the show was pulled, he then praised Nexstar’s broadcasting division, saying “it is important for broadcasters to push back on Disney programming that they determine falls short of community values”.

Kimmel’s suspension has triggered outrage from Democrats like California Governor Gavin Newsom, who posted on X: “The @GOP [Republican Party] does not believe in free speech. They are censoring you in real time.”

Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer called for people “across the political spectrum… to stop what’s happening to Jimmy Kimmel”.

A representative for Kimmel did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

He has not issued any statement since the show’s withdrawal.

Sinclear, the largest ABC affiliate group in the US, has called on Mr Kimmel to “issue a direct apology to the Kirk family” and “make a meaningful personal donation to the Kirk Family and Turning Point USA” in a statement on Thursday.

The company said its ABC stations will air a special in remembrance of Mr Kirk during Jimmy Kimmel Live’s timeslot on Friday.

Both Disney and Nexstar have FCC business ahead of them. Disney is seeking regulatory approval for ESPN’s acquisition of the NFL Network and Nexstar needs the Trump administration go-ahead to complete its $6.2bn purchase of broadcast rival Tegna.

Mr Kirk’s suspected killer, Tyler Robinson, appeared in court for the first time on Tuesday. Prosecutors said he had expressed negative views about Mr Kirk, an influential media figure in the MAGA movement.

Entertainment

Sally Rooney says she’s been told not to enter UK because she may be arrested

Published

10 hours ago

September 18, 2025

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Sally Rooney says she's been told not to enter UK because she may be arrested

Sally Rooney says she could not come to the UK to pick up an award earlier this week because she can “no longer safely enter the UK without facing arrest”.

The Irish author of hit novels including Normal People and Conversations With Friends recently pledged her royalties to proscribed group Palestine Action, meaning she is at risk of committing a terror offence under UK law.

Palestine Action was proscribed as a terrorist organisation in the UK on 5 July.

The 34-year-old had won a Sky Arts Award, in the literature category, for her latest novel, Intermezzo, beating fellow writers Alan Hollinghurst and Gwyneth Lewis.

Rooney’s editor, Alex Bowler, attended the ceremony on Tuesday at London’s Roundhouse on her behalf.

Accepting the award, he read a statement from Rooney, which said: “I’m so touched and grateful to receive this prize.

“I truly loved writing Intermezzo, and it means the world to me to think that it found some small place in the lives of its readers. Thank you.

“I wish that I could be with you this evening to accept the honour in person, but because of my support for non-violent anti-war protest, I’m advised that I can no longer safely enter the UK without potentially facing arrest.

“In that context, I want to thank you all the more warmly for honouring my work tonight and to reiterate my belief in the dignity and beauty of all human life and my solidarity with the people of Palestine.”

Rooney previously told the Irish Times that if backing the group “makes me a ‘supporter of terror’ under UK law, so be it”.

She has said she will use the proceeds of her work and her public platform to continue her support for Palestine Action and “direct action against genocide in whatever way I can”.

Palestine Action was banned under terrorism legislation in the UK, but not under Irish law.

Rooney currently lives in the west of Ireland.

More than 700 people have been arrested in relation to alleged support of Palestine Action since it was banned – including 522 during a protest in central London on 9 July.

The group was proscribed after the group claimed responsibility for damage to jets at RAF Brize Norton and was also linked to “allegations of a serious assault on staff”.

Earlier this week, a UN Commission report found Israel was committing genocide in Gaza.

Israel’s foreign ministry said it “categorically rejects this distorted and false report” and called for the commission to be abolished.

On Wednesday night, stars including Richard Gere, Florence Pugh, Damon Albarn and Louis Theroux all appeared at the Together for Palestine concert, at Ovo Arena Wembley, which raised £1.5m to support Palestinian humanitarian organisations.

See all the Sky Arts Awards winners here.